Students, parents attempt probable Guinness feat

Students of Bhavani Higher Secondary School, Ayyan Thiruvalluvar College of Arts and Science and Annai Kaveri Teacher Training Institute engaged in a Guinness Record-creating attempt to hand paint the image of Thiruvalluvar in Coimbatore on Sunday. Photo: Special Arrangement

A fitting tribute it was on Sunday for the Tamil poet who left his imprint with 1,330 couplets on humanity. Something that may fetch the students of three sister institutions a Guinness Record.

The 1,100-odd students of Ayyan Thiruvalluvar College of Arts and Science, Annai Kaveri Teacher Training Institute and Bhavani Higher Secondary School, along with their parents and grandparents, left their hand impression on a 3,200 sq.m. cloth to paint Thiruvalluvar's image and the couplet: Karka kasadara karpavai katrapin, nirka atharkuth-thaga , the college said in a press release.

Guinness record

The effort would be submitted for entry into the elite book of world records, it said.

They used 900 litres paint of five colours to come up with the image of the Tamil poet, the couplet, and also the name of the college.

The college management said it organised the event to emphasise on the need to live according to the message in the

Thirukural .

Justice V. Ramasubramaniam, judge, Madras High Court, who was present at the college said parents were now more interested in the material success of their children, but less concerned about their being good persons. This was the reason for social degeneration. He asked the parents, students and teachers to turn to Thiruvalluvar for inspiration. G. Bakthavatsalam, chairman of KG Group, O. Aarumugaswamy, president of Vijaya Lakshmi Trust, and K. Vinayakam, director,

The Chennai Silks, were present to encourage those involved in the attempt.